7 Major Coronavirus Developments — RI to Move Forward with Antibody Testing — April 25, 2020
GoLocalProv News Team
7 Major Coronavirus Developments — RI to Move Forward with Antibody Testing — April 25, 2020
The Rhode Island Department of Health announced that earlier this week, the state received a shipment of 20,000 antibody tests that are now going through the validation process.
"In the coming weeks, the state will work with experts at Brown University and the Rhode Island Blood Center to test a random population sample and collect information about the prevalence of the virus in Rhode Island. In the meantime, RIDOH is creating a Rhode Island COVID-19 Testing and Validation Task Force to help analyze and draw conclusions from this data when it is available. The Task Force will be co-chaired by Dr. Angela Caliendo and Dr. Jonathan Kurtis, two Lifespan physicians," said the state in an announcement.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTMany public health experts argue that antibody testing is critical to reopening the economy and determining when herd immunity can be achieved.
The timeline by state officials is faster than previously identified.
On April 7, GoLocal requested a copy of the State's antibody testing plan.
GoLocal was told by the Health Department spokesperson Joseph Wendelken, "We're still probably a few months out before we can start doing serological testing, so we don't yet have a firm plan drawn up. We are planning to explore how to best do this, and integrate serology into our testing infrastructure. But our immediate focuses are testing, case finding, and mitigation measures to limit the spread."
While the testing is critical, the tests are far from perfect.
The New York Times reports, "For the past few weeks, more than 50 scientists have been working diligently to do something that the Food and Drug Administration mostly has not: Verifying that 14 coronavirus antibody tests now on the market actually deliver accurate results.
These tests are crucial to reopening the economy, but public health experts have raised urgent concerns about their quality. The new research, completed just days ago and posted online Friday, confirmed some of those fears: Of the 14 tests, only three delivered consistently reliable results. Even the best had some flaws."
See Below 7 Major Coronavirus Developments
7 Major Coronavirus Developments — April 25, 2020
Devastating Economic Numbers From Congressional Budget Office
CBO has developed preliminary projections of key economic variables through the end of the calendar year 2021, based on information about the economy that was available through yesterday and including the effects of an economic boost from legislation recently enacted in response to the pandemic.
In addition, CBO has developed a preliminary assessment of federal budget deficits and debt for fiscal years 2020 and 2021. CBO will provide a comprehensive analysis of that legislation and updated baseline budget projections later this year.
- In the second quarter of 2020, the economy will experience a sharp contraction, and CBO’s current economic projections include the following:
- Inflation-adjusted gross domestic product (real GDP) is expected to decline by -about 12 percent during the second quarter, equivalent to a decline at an annual rate of 40 percent for that quarter.
- The unemployment rate is expected to average close to 14 percent during the second quarter.
- Interest rates on 3-month Treasury bills and 10-year Treasury notes are expected to average 0.1 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively, during that quarter.
For the fiscal year 2020, CBO's early look at the fiscal outlook shows the following:
- The federal budget deficit is projected to be $3.7 trillion.
- Federal debt held by the public is projected to be 101 percent of GDP by the end of the fiscal year.
RI Commerce Corp's Emergency Funding Programs
Beyond PPP, Commerce RI has launched a number of funding programs.
Microenterprise Stabilization Grant Program
Rhode Island’s microenterprise stabilization grant program is designed to assist small businesses that have been impacted by COVID-19 and left out of federal stimulus programs to-date. The program will provide grants of up to $5,000 to qualifying microenterprises. Funds may be used for working capital to cover business costs, such as rent, staffing, utilities.
LISC Small Business Relief Grants
LISC small business relief grants aim to support small businesses and enterprises affected by COVID-19 across the country, especially those in underserved communities, including entrepreneurs of color, women- and veteran-owned businesses that often lack access to flexible, affordable capital.
Lawsuits Across Country Challenge Governors' Restrictions
The Wall Street Journal writes that lawsuits are being filed across the country challenging the orders issued by some governors.
In Virginia, one suit by a gym order challenges the Governor's powers to determine what is an "essential business."
In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been forced to back down in one area.
"On Friday, Ms. Whitmer pulled back some of her previous order after legal challenges arose, allowing, for example, gardeners and landscapers to return to work.
A landscapers’ trade group had challenged Ms. Whitmer’s prohibition on hiring help to cut grass or trim hedges. The Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association in its lawsuit against the state said mowing grass and spreading fertilizer can be done safely by a single employee, risking less person-to-person interaction than activities that are allowed, like going to stores to buy beer.
U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney declined to immediately block Ms. Whitmer’s order, but he wrote that the plaintiffs have “a point that lawn care can largely be performed alone or while maintaining an appropriate social distance.”
On Friday, after the governor announced her more lenient policy, a lawyer for the landscaping association said it might still pursue damages."
RI's Dangerous Numbers
Rhode Island now ranks 5th in the United States for cases per 1 million.
Rhode Island ranks 8th in the United States for deaths per 1 million.
Disturbing News
GoLocal's story Friday that a 200 bed Rhode Island nursing home has filed for receivership in Rhode Island Superior Court is a glimpse into what might lie ahead for the state's complex economic future.
Hopkins Manor has a reported 20-25 coronavirus cases, according to the Rhode Island Department of Health.
It has had less than five deaths -- RIDOH refuses to release the exact number.
According to the petition filed on Friday, "The Respondents are in need of court intervention because they are suffering financial losses which may result in the inability to pay their debts in the ordinary course of business. The Respondents’ fiscal distress has been exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in a decrease in the Respondents’ already-limited revenues. Moreover, the Respondents recently discovered that certain residents and staff of the Hopkins Manor nursing home have contracted COVID-19, which is expected to further erode the Respondents’ financial condition and outlook. Petitioner believes that there is a risk of corporate assets being wasted or lost."
Numbers
6,699 Cases in Rhode Island
50,969 Cases in Massachusetts
202 Deaths in RI
2,556 Deaths in Massachusetts
925,758 Cases in the United States
52,217 Deaths in the United States
2,845,859 Global Cases
197,846 Global Deaths
811,687 Global Recoveries
GoLocal LIVE, Saturday, April 25, 2020
1:00 PM - Governor Gina Raimondo Press Briefing
EDITOR'S NOTE: Raimondo does not allow Rhode Islanders to hear reporters' questions. Nearly all governors across the country and the White House allow reporters to ask questions directly and for the public to hear the questions and the responses.
